Branding the City of Sanford Voters to decide which logo best promotes the community

By Ellen W. Todd

Sanford News Writer

Thursday, November 29, 2012

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Courtesy photo
Consultant Nancy Marshall presented these two ideas for logos to the Sanford Town Council on Tuesday night.

SANFORD — Do the citizens of Maine's newest city want to promote their community as a place to explore, create and grow or a place that's great for business and great for life?

Those are the messages included in two different logos created by a marketing and public relations agency hired by the town to help Sanford market itself.

The agency, Nancy Marshall Communications, was contracted in July to work with the town to develop its own “brand.” During that time they met with residents, business owners, and town officials and held focus groups to gather information about Sanford and what it is that people like about it.

“It has been such a wonderful experience to get to know the town — soon to be city — of Sanford,” Nancy Marshall said at the Nov. 27 town council meeting. Marshall was accompanied by Renée Black, a graphic designer and the account executive for the Sanford “branding” project.

Marshall said her work started with a tour of the town and included a three-hour discovery session with 15 to 20 residents. From that information, the agency created a “Sanford Message Map” which Marshall described as like a song sheet.

At the center of the message map is the key message, or “sound bite,” that summarizes Sanford and how its citizens see it. It states: “Sanford is planning for a prosperous future by leveraging its many resources including its rich history; tight-knit, multigenerational community; valuable natural resources; multitude of recreational opportunities; diverse transportation network; strong school system; available land and bountiful farms.”

Surrounding the key message are eight “talking points” about the town — positive messages about the town's attributes.

Marshall unveiled two different logos created by her agency for the town.

“These logos were grounded in what people told us,” she said.

Marshall and Black explained that a “brand” is not just a logo, “it's what you want to tell others about your town.” Its purpose is to differentiate the town from other towns, they said.

The two logos, one with a “Sanford swoosh” that could be used in different colors for different purposes, and the other a more crisp, conventional block style.

Residents will have an opportunity to vote on the two options for Sanford's logo. Voting will by the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council, which is expected to announce details for the vote by the end of the week.